Beethoven in America

There is a new book out (just in time for our city-wide Beethoven Festival) called Beethoven in America. The NY Times reviewed it here. The author states the first performance of Beethoven’s music in America took place in 1805 (before Beethoven had finished his third symphony) in Charleston, South Carolina. The New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony both played big parts in introducing the symphonies to the new world.

The last part of the book talks about Beethoven and pop culture. The reviewer states, “…Beethoven’s universality is in some ways a spent force. Only a handful of pieces — the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, the “Moonlight” Sonata, the insignificant “Für Elise” — are heard, over and over, in film, television and pop music, which is where most nonclassical listeners hear Beethoven.

So to the extent that his name is known to everyone, it is as a lowest common denominator of sorts — the one thing they know about classical music. Whether Beethoven would have found this amusing or irritating is impossible to say. But is it really something to celebrate?”

I’m not sure I agree with this criticism. First of all, I hear lots more Beethoven in pop culture than just a handful of pieces. The movie, “The King’s Speech” featured Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 at the climatic speech. The comic strip Peanuts referred to many different piano sonatas.

Beyond pop culture, Beethoven still reigns supreme. Last’s season’s Tchaikovsky Festival lasted about 10 days. The Beethoven Festival in January and February includes 34 concerts performed by 13 different organizations. The Symphony is even bringing a lock of Beethoven’s hair to display in the lobby when we perform the 8th and 9th symphonies!

But, my real proof that the NY Times got it wrong is the picture below. This was taken at the Symphony’s Family Halloween Concert back in October. Symphony Board member Alfredo La Rosa dressed up as Beethoven and was pictured standing next to Darth Vader! What could be more iconic in pop culture than Vader and Beethoven?